ISTANBUL—Turkish police raided the home of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on Wednesday, detaining him over a corruption probe in a move denounced by the main opposition CHP party as a “coup”.
A popular and powerful figure within the CHP, Imamoglu is President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s main political rival, and his detention came days before he was to be named the party’s candidate for the 2028 presidential election.
Widely seen as the strongest candidate to challenge Erdogan, Imamoglu’s career has been overshadowed by a string of what critics say are politically motivated legal cases.
The police raid occurred just hours after Istanbul University revoked his degree, amid claims it was falsely obtained.
The revocation is a high-stakes move as presidential candidates in Turkey need to have a higher education qualification.
Imamoglu “was detained and is now at police headquarters”, said a press aide, who asked not to be named as he was not authorised to speak to the press and was unable to say why he had been detained.
“Hundreds of police officers have arrived at my door. I entrust myself to the people,” the mayor said in a video posted on X.
A statement from the Istanbul public prosecutor’s office cited charges including bribery and extortion, saying that Imamoglu was the leader of a “criminal organization” and that 100 suspects had been rounded up.